Students redefine fashion with groundbreaking AI-integrated catwalk

In a spectacular reimagining of the traditional catwalk, final-year Fashion Design students at the University of Hertfordshire showcased Metamorphosis, an AI-integrated fashion show that fused human and digital performance.

Staged as the centrepiece of their 2025 Creative Arts Degree Show, Metamorphosis marked the 20th anniversary of the University’s Fashion programme with a dazzling vision for the future. It was the first hybrid fashion show in UK higher education, integrating AI-generated models, holographic projections, and digital scenography with live collections.

Curated and directed by fashion lecturer, designer, and AI consultant Morchen Liu, the show blurred the boundaries between the physical and the digital, the past and the future. It combined final-year graduate collections with AI-revived designs from alumni spanning two decades. This visual delight created a catwalk where virtual and real models shared the same catwalk in a choreography of light, music, and creative visuals.

Morchen Liu said: “Metamorphosis marks a bold step forward for fashion and design education. We reimagined the traditional catwalk into a hybrid, immersive experience where human creativity met machine intelligence. From student collections to holographic alumni revivals and AI-projected models, the show celebrated transformation across time, technology, and identity. It’s the first time we’ve used generative tools so extensively, and it signals a new era for fashion storytelling.”

A show highlight included a live vocal performance by Herts Music student Dana Mens, who co-wrote the original soundtrack with Morchen Liu using AI tools to generate the song’s lyrics, instrumentation, and arrangement, further reinforcing the event’s interdisciplinary spirit.

Associate Dean for the School of Creative Arts, Rich Mitchell, added:

“There were moments during Metamorphosis where members of the audience – myself included – were no longer certain what was real and what had been generated using AI. It was exciting and captivatingly surreal at the same time. The beauty of the show’s direction, however, meant that the star of the show remained the students’ incredible fashion collections, which had been lovingly crafted during their final year of studies and which pushed the boundaries of clothing design as equally as the show’s direction.

“This pioneering production not only showcased the immense talent within the University’s Fashion Design course but also cemented the University of Hertfordshire’s place at the forefront of innovation in creative education. The show offered a glimpse into the future of fashion, where storytelling, sustainability, and technology combine.”

The Creative Arts Degree Show 2025 featured exhibitions in visual arts, animation, film, music, and design - celebrating the next generation of creative leaders. Find out more about the Creative Arts courses offered at Herts